In 2021, the three-piece band of vocalists T.3 – consisting of Jim Hogan, Liam Fennecken and Brendan Jacob Smith – entered the 16th season of America’s Got Talent. As they took to the stage, Hogan excitedly spoke to the judges Simon Cowell, Howie Mandel, Heidi Klum and Sofia Vergara. He told them how the band were from New York City and had formed only fourteen months previously. He explained that they had got together after Smith saw the other two performing on YouTube and sent them a message.
The band had never performed in front of other people, admitting that they usually performed on Brendan’s parents’ staircase. This brought a lot of laughter and goodwill from the crowd. Mandel asked the band if they felt they were worthy of the million-dollar prize money. Hogan confidently replied, “Yeah, we’re super excited.” The band’s enthusiasm was obviously boundless, but would their performance live up to this hype?
The band broke confidently into a performance of “Into The Unknown”. Idina Menzel and Aurora first performed this song for the 2019 Disney film Frozen 2. It is a hugely successful song, having gained an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Original Song. The three bandmates harmonised wonderfully, reaching the daunting high notes with a seeming ease that showed the strength of their voices.
The judges were obviously impressed, with Klum raising clenched fists to show the power of the performance. On the side of the stage, presenter Terry Crews clapped his hands with delight at what he was witnessing. They finished the performance and bowed in response to the huge cheers and applause from the crowd. The judges all rose to a standing ovation, while Crews exclaimed to the camera, “That sound was big!” Unsurprisingly, the judges all voted yes, and they were sent into the next round.
Though they seemed destined to be potential winners for the series, it unfortunately wasn’t to be for the T.3 boys. In the quarterfinal round, the band performed Olivia Rodrigo’s “good 4 u”, which was also greatly enjoyed, including a standing ovation from Vergara and Mandel. However, they finished outside the top 5 in the public voting, and were eliminated from the competition after a tiebreaker with Korean Soul. The band have since gone on to appear in musicals including Waitress, School of Rock and The Phantom of the Opera.
They may not have won the series for Season 16 of America’s Got Talent, but their audition was undoubtedly one of the highlights of that year’s edition. The video for their performance of “Into the Unknown” has been watched over four million times, and still wows viewers with the vocal power of their performance.
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